The present invention relates to information processing apparatus and information equipment such as a copying machine and a facsimile machine, using the information processing apparatus. More particularly, the invention relates to information processing apparatus having a function of processing a specific region of a manuscript, and information equipment using the information processing apparatus.
Japanese Published Patent Application No. Sho.60-201773 discloses xe2x80x9ca facsimile machinexe2x80x9d in which a band-shaped mark entered in an edge of a manuscript is detected, and a region defined by the mark is enlarged to be transmitted. Meanwhile, Japanese Published Patent Application No. Sho.57-164655 discloses xe2x80x9ca manuscript carrier sheet and a facsimile machine using the carrier sheetxe2x80x9d in which a mark for indicating a scale factor is entered in a transparent manuscript carrier sheet. Further, Japanese Published Patent Application No. Hei.5-219316 discloses xe2x80x9ca manuscript reading method and a facsimile machine using this methodxe2x80x9d in which a mark entered in a manuscript carrier sheet is detected to define a region indicated by the mark, and only the defined region is transmitted.
In the above-described facsimile machines in which a mark for indicating a scale factor or a specific region is entered directly on a manuscript or a manuscript carrier sheet, when different portions of the same manuscript are transmitted to different addresses, it is necessary to delete a mark which has been entered before, and this takes much labor.
The present invention is made to solve the above-described problem and has for its object to provide an information processing apparatus in which an indication means for indicating a specific region is placed on a manuscript, and the region where the indication means is placed and the type of the indication means are recognized to subject the region to a process such as scale-up according to the type of the indication means.
The present invention also relates to information equipment using the information processing apparatus.
Other objects and advantages of the invention will become apparent from the detailed description that follows. The detailed description and specific embodiments described are provided only for illustration since various additions and modifications within the scope of the invention will be apparent to those of skill in the art from the detailed description.
According to a first aspect of the present invention, an information processing apparatus comprises: an indication means placed on a manuscript; a reading unit for reading information on the manuscript; an indication means detection unit for detecting the indication means placed on the manuscript, thereby detecting a region indicated by the indication means on the manuscript; and an information processing unit performing a predetermined process to the information obtained from the region indicated by the detected indication means, amongst the information on the manuscript read by the reading unit.
According to a second aspect of the present invention, in the above-described information processing apparatus, the indication means detection unit detects a process indicated by the indication means; and the information processing unit performs the process indicated by the indication means to the information obtained from the region indicated by the indication means.
According to a third aspect of the present invention, in the above-described information processing apparatus, the indication means detection unit recognizes the way of placing the indication means; and the information processing unit performs a process which is decided according to the placing way recognized by the indication means detection unit, to the information obtained from the region indicated by the indication means.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, in the above-described information processing apparatus, the predetermined process is a process of encrypting the information in the region indicated by the indication means.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the above-described information processing apparatus, the encryption process comprises the steps of dividing the information in the region indicated by the indication means into a plurality of sub-regions in a predetermined direction; arranging these sub-regions at regular intervals along the predetermined direction; and adding information, which is symmetrical with the information of each sub-region in the predetermined direction, to the information of each sub-region.
According to a sixth aspect of the present invention, an information processing apparatus comprises: a reading unit for reading information on a manuscript; a manuscript correction parameter decision unit for detecting the distribution of concentration of the manuscript from the information read by the reading unit, and deciding a correction parameter for a blurred potion of the manuscript based on the result of the decision; and a blur correction unit for correcting the blurred portion of the manuscript based on the correction parameter.
According to a seventh aspect of the present invention, an information processing apparatus comprises: an indication means placed on a manuscript; a reading unit for reading information on the manuscript; an indication means detection unit for detecting the indication means placed on the manuscript, thereby detecting a process indicated by the indication means; and an information processing unit performing the process indicated by the indication means, to the information read by the reading unit.
According to an eighth aspect of the present invention, an information equipment comprises: an indication means placed on a manuscript; a reading unit for reading information on the manuscript; an indication means detection unit for detecting the indication means placed on the manuscript, thereby detecting a region indicated by the indication means on the manuscript; and an information processing unit performing a predetermined process to the information obtained from the region indicated by the detected indication means, amongst the information on the manuscript read by the reading unit.
According to a ninth aspect of the present invention, an information equipment comprises: a reading unit for reading information on a manuscript; a manuscript correction parameter decision unit for detecting the distribution of concentration of the manuscript from the information read by the reading unit, and deciding a correction parameter for a blurred potion of the manuscript based on the result of the detection; and a blur correction unit for correcting the blurred portion of the manuscript based on the correction parameter.
According to a tenth aspect of the present invention, an information equipment comprises: an indication means placed on a manuscript; a reading unit for reading information on the manuscript; an indication means detection unit for detecting the indication means placed on the manuscript, thereby detecting a process indicated by the indication means; and an information processing unit performing the process indicated by the indication means, to the information read by the reading unit.